KARACHI, Jan 25: Lack of awareness, inaccessibility to some areas in Sindh, reluctance on the part of parents in rural areas and the unfounded fear that polio drops cause death are the major reasons for the failure to meet the polio eradication targets set earlier for December 2002 by WHO.

The load of polio in Pakistan constitutes 5.43 per cent of the total global burden. The new WHO deadline is June 2003. The 35th round of the campaign will take off on January 28 in Sindh in Sukkur, Ghotki, Khairpur, Larkana and others.

The Extended Programme for Immunization (EPI) Sindh, the Sindh health department, UNICEF and WHO held a joint press conference here on Saturday.

Dr Azmoda, WHO country representative, speaking on the occasion said the situation had vastly improved but efforts must be accelerate to overcome the disease threatening minors.

He regretted that people were reluctant to get their children vaccinated and more than 25 % of them below the age of six were missed in every campaign.

“Parents must administer polio drops to their children below five years of age during the campaigns. Our children require at least 12-14 doses, and if fully immunized they should get the extra doses”.

DG health Sindh, Qadir Baksh Kadwani, said that during the last campaign the print media highlighted in a false manner the deaths of a few children after being administered the polio vaccine, which proved detrimental and parents refused to get their children vaccinated.

He said it was proved by statistics that diarrhoea and other diseases were preventing the cure of polio by the normal four doses, and in the prevailing environment of Pakistan 10 to 12 doses were needed.

He called for following routine immunization for children for other diseases including diphtheria, T.B, tetanus, measles and hepatitis.

Dr Asif Aslam of UNICEF said that 99 per cent success was accomplished as far as polio eradication efforts were concerned in Sindh, however the last phase of the drive constituted a difficult job as attention had to be focussed on some districts afflicted by a magnitude of problems— Larkana, Ghotki and Kahirpur.

He said the next campaign for polio eradication in Sindh was vital for completely eradicating the disease.

Dr Shams-un-Nisa Ansari, project director EPI, Dr Wahid of UNICEF, eminent TV artist Shafi Mohammad and Hayee Khan of Rotary International also spoke on the occasion.